


Sparks

by Luonto



Series: across the stars [3]
Category: LOONA (Korea Band), Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Alien!Hyejoo, All three of them are Sith, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, Discrimination, F/F, Hyewon: YEET, I'll try to keep the dark themes to a minimum, Lesbians in Space, Mutual Pining, Sith Training, Yerim is too good for this world too pure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2020-10-27 21:37:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20767331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luonto/pseuds/Luonto
Summary: As the Sith Empire is left reeling after the war, the Academy on Korriban relaxes its recruitment standards, allowing all kinds of people from across the Empire to become Sith.Son Hyejoo is one of those new acolytes, suddenly ripped from her home planet and thrust into a world where backstabbing is the norm and danger lurks around every corner.Does she have what it takes to survive?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, Nneoh here again with more star wars/loona bullshit! I know nobody really checks these out but eh, they make me happy.
> 
> We're moving onto Sith now- specifically Sith Hyewon and Yerim bc I'm soft for that duality and lightsabers and shooting lightning from hands. This one, like the other fics, will include some darker themes, but I'll try to keep it toned down for you guys. 
> 
> Enjoy!

From the moment I boarded the shuttle to Korriban, I knew I was fucked.  
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a Sith. The stories always sent chills down my spine, made my heart pound out of fear and awe. When I was young I thought they were just legends. As a half-alien on a backwater planet like Eriadu, these sorts of things were out of reach.  
Things happened so fast. I remembered a surge of electricity bursting from my fingertips, a charred body before me, and my parents hurriedly briefing me before I was taken to the Sith Academy on Korriban.  
“Remember to keep your identity hidden,” my mother told me. I remember looking up into her eyes, at the horns and facial tattoos that marked her as a Zabrak- the part of me I’d have to hide. Our new conquerors didn’t like aliens.  
“Try keep your horns hidden. Don’t get any tattoos until you graduate. You’ll look human to them if you follow my advice.” She wiped her eyes and gazed into mine, as if she was trying to commit me to memory.  
As if she was afraid she was going to lose me.  
I felt a cold pit of nervousness forming in my stomach. The pilot barked a command at me and I hastily whipped around, climbing up the gangplank.   
“Be safe, Hyejoo,” I could hear my father call out to me. Then the doors slammed shut like doors to a tomb, and my fate was sealed.  
Son Hyejoo was to become a Sith.

The shuttle was dark. I could feel my teeth chattering and wasn’t sure if it was from my anxiety or the cold. I carefully messed up my hair so it covered the tips of my horns and glanced around the interior. There were seats lined up against all the walls, most of them unoccupied. Two boys stared at me and murmured amongst themselves. Another one flipped me off- probably some stuck-up upper class brat from Dromund Kaas or Ziost. My hands began to shake as I fought down the bubble of emotions forming inside of me. My eyes came to rest on a girl with bright purple hair staring out the window. She hummed to herself cheerfully and turned around, slightly startled when she saw me standing in the doorway. I thought she would point, or laugh, or something, but she just smiled and waved at me. It felt weird here for some reason.  
I awkwardly waved back, my limbs stiffening as she beckoned for me to come sit next to her. With all the grace of a puppet I made my way over to where she was.  
“Are you going to Korriban too?” she asked, her smile way too bright for this sort of situation. I nodded slowly, trying to think of something to say, but my thoughts were interrupted by a stream of constant chatter.  
“My name’s Choi Yerim! I’m heading to Korriban to complete the final stages of my training,” she said proudly, her eyes glittering.   
“I used to just train with my family back on Ziost- being Sith kind of runs in the family, you know? But it’s so exciting to finally be able to go to Korriban! Are you excited as well?”  
I wanted to scream out that I didn’t want any of this, to yell and curse, but all I could manage was a shaky “n...no.”  
“Oh, really?” Her smile fell away and she leaned forward, concern in her eyes. I nodded, staring at my feet.  
“You’re from a newly conquered planet, right?”  
“Mmhm.”  
“It’s understandable that you’re nervous, then. The Empire can be pretty scary when you first join, I think.”  
“It’s… not just that,” I mumbled. “I’m new to all this… Dark Side stuff. I can’t control it at all.”  
“Ahh…” She gently placed a hand on my shoulder as if she was trying to comfort me, and I flinched. I wasn’t used to strangers touching me unexpectedly like that.   
“Sorry!” Yerim gasped, pulling her hand away. “Did I hurt you?”  
“No… it’s okay,” I reassured her, confused why someone as nice as her was training to be Sith. Maybe it was all a front that she’d drop when we got to the academy. I hoped that wasn’t true.  
“Well… if you say so. You can talk to me if you need anything at all.”   
“But you just met me,” I shot back.  
“So? We’re in this together, right?” She smiled again, and I felt my heart warm up a little bit. Yerim was so bright, so optimistic. Deep down, I hoped that we could be friends someday. 

Yerim talked endlessly for most of the flight, telling me about her family back on Ziost and her training. I nodded and listened- I wasn’t feeling very talkative, but her endless optimism made me feel a bit better.   
The shuttle stopped at various planets within the Empire, from backwater planets on the edges to booming industrial powerhouses like the recently-conquered planet of Balmorra. I stared out the windows at the all-encompassing blackness speckled with stars. I’d never left home before, and it was a lot to take in. The stars filled me with a sense of wonder that I hadn’t felt since I was much younger. I remained in that reverie until the shuttle made its last stop before arriving at Korriban: the recently-reclaimed world of Begeren. The collection process was fast- we touched down, the doors slid open, the shuttle re-fueled and collection began. I was busy staring at the sliver of rocky landscape visible through the doors when a new figure stepped on board, obstructing my view. I was annoyed at first but that slowly faded away as I took in the person’s appearance. It was a human girl, with long, cascading blonde hair that stood in stark contrast with the dark robes she was wearing. She looked delicate, her hands trembling slightly, and while she tried to maintain a neutral expression, there was a haunted look in her eyes.   
I felt a pang of sympathy for her, mixed with… something else, and a quick glance to my right revealed that Yerim was feeling the same way. As soon as the doors slid shut and the shuttle began to take off, she waved to the new girl, beckoning her to come sit with us. As the delicate-looking blonde moved to sit beside me, I felt my cheeks grow warm.   
“Are you going to Korriban too?” Yerim asked, and the girl nodded, introducing herself in a quiet, lilting voice.  
“My name is Park Chaewon. I’m… from one of the civilian families on Begeren. Nobody in my family was Force-sensitive, so I didn’t expect… this.”  
She stared down at her trembling hands, her voice seemingly stuck in her throat from nerves. I saw a large part of myself in her- that same fear and apprehensiveness I’d been feeling since my own Force-sensitivity manifested. I felt an overwhelming urge to protect her, or something like that.  
“Another newbie! Don’t worry, despite popular belief, the Dark Side isn’t as scary as you’d think.” Yerim winked and offered a reassuring smile. “It’s just kind of… tingly? I dunno, it’s hard to explain.”  
I heard a small snort from next to me, and turned to see Chaewon stifling a laugh.   
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard the Dark Side described as ‘tingly’ before.”  
That was enough to make me smile- just a small one, but Chaewon noticed it and grinned back, her eyes losing some of their fear.   
“Are you new to this too?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.  
“Yeah,” I whispered back, my voice wavering a bit. Chaewon’s expression softened and she slowly shuffled closer.  
“I’m scared,” I confessed, trying to ignore the fact that my body had begun to tremble. She gently took one of my hands and grasped it in her own.  
“Me too.”

We stayed like that for the rest of the flight. I didn’t dare to let go of Chaewon’s hand- she was the only person here I felt a sense of camaraderie. Yerim was nice- almost too nice to be Sith, I felt- but there was a small rift between us because of our vastly different upbringings. As a high-class human from a Sith family on Ziost, she couldn’t understand the sort of hardships I’d gone through. She tried her best to understand, which warmed my heart, but she never quite fully understood. Endless optimism has its downfalls.  
From what I could gather, Chaewon was almost as nervous as I was, though she hid it behind sly remarks and the occasional joke based on something Yerim said. If everyone on Korriban was like those two, I would’ve been less apprehensive and maybe even enjoyed some of my training.   
But, of course, that was a lie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arrival on Korriban is a rude awakening for our trio of heroes, as the reality of Sith training begins to sink in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so the time between chapters has been... excessive to say the least. You can blame uni and my terrible organisational skills for that, I’m sorry.
> 
> Instead of 2 chapters like the other fics, this one’s going to have 3, since I’m a sucker for Hyejoo and Chaewon and clearly not biased at all (sarcasm). I’ll try to get the next chapter out soon-ish, since the new comeback is bringing my muse back. Man, I missed Loona.
> 
> Ahem, anyways, I hope you guys still enjoy!

As the shuttle touched down on Korriban, I felt an almost instinctive shiver run down my spine. My first glimpse of the landscape came as the doors slowly slid open: a barren, rocky wasteland with a coat of red dust that seemed to permeate the entire planet. I could spot numerous openings carved into the sides of the mountains, surrounded by pillars and intimidating carved gateways. These must have been the tombs of old Dark Lords that my parents had mentioned- as the ancestral home of the Sith, Korriban was full of them.  
I stared wide-eyed at the valleys below, where strange, worm-like creatures lunged at Imperial soldiers, who retaliated with rounds of blaster fire. The panic I’d managed to fight down during the shuttle flight began to rise again with surprising speed. A glance to my right confirmed that Chaewon was just as nervous as I was. For a brief second I saw a flash of shock on Yerim’s face, but it quickly disappeared and was replaced with an awkward smile.  
“Well… it’s definitely very red!”  
Chaewon raised an eyebrow as Yerim squared her shoulders and began to stroll leisurely down the gangplank and onto the landing pads below.  
“She’s nervous, isn’t she?” Chaewon asked.  
“That or delusional,” I muttered, trying desperately to contain the panic as the other passengers disembarked and swept past us. With my heart pounding, I took my first steps onto Korriban.

We’d landed on the outskirts of the Sith academy- a hulking, grey building that loomed over the valley below. Chaewon and I were the last of the new recruits off the shuttle, clinging to each other like our lives depended on it. The recruits all gathered on a small balcony next to the landing pad, watching with curious eyes as two men stepped out from the building. The first was of average height, but power and hate seemed to radiate from his body and sent shivers down my spine. The other man was shorter, with short, cropped black hair framing a lined, sickly white face, eyes narrow and mouth pulled into a scowl. He eyed us with contempt, and I gulped  
“Welcome, recruits,” he addressed us, his voice deep and threatening. “I am Overseer Jinyoung, and my colleague Hyunsuk and I will be in charge of your training.” He gestured to his colleague, who grumbled and tossed his head.  
“While in the academy, you will train as two separate cohorts. Those of high birth and pure lineages will train under me. Hyunsuk will oversee the training of those of… lesser standing.” Overseer Jinyoung made a face at the last word. Somehow, I knew Chaewon and I would fall into the latter category.  
“There are two main rules here in the academy. Number one: the word of your instructors and the Sith Lords here are absolute. Any disrespect will be punished severely. Number two: killing of other acolytes is forbidden within the academy walls. Of course, what goes on in the tombs is none of our business.”  
He laughed, and some of the other acolytes shared his sentiment- mostly the high-born assholes from Dromund Kaas and Ziost. The rest of us shifted uncomfortably where we stood. If this was what the academy was going to be like, then I had a feeling I wasn’t going to enjoy my time here at all.  
“This concludes the briefing. Enter your details on one of the datapads being passed around and then step into one of the cubicles inside the academy to receive your practice sabers and uniform.”  
A datapad was thrust in my face, forcing me to let go of Chaewon’s hand while I filled it in.

  
_Name: Son Hyejoo. Age: 18. Home planet: Eriadu. Sith background: no. Race..._  
I hesitated, tentatively typing in _Human_ and hoping they didn’t notice any Zabrak traits on me. I saw how the overseers looked at the few non-humans in our group. I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that glare. Trying to keep my breathing level, I handed the datapad to the overseers, watching nervously as they scanned it.  
“Human, but no Sith background. You’re with me, then,” Hyunsuk grumbled, looking at me with disdain. “Let me guess: you’re some lower-class scum whose parents saw a sliver of Force-sensitivity and sent you here to elevate their status. You’ll never make it through the trials.”  
Something began to build inside me- something that burned like fire. I could feel small sparks forming between my fingers and hurriedly did my best to suppress them. Hyunsuk already pissed me off, but I couldn’t just electrocute him- I’d probably be killed. He noticed the sparks and raised an eyebrow.  
“Force Lightning already? Maybe you won’t be as much of a failure as I thought, acolyte. Head to the cubicles on the far left- it’s Sorcerer training for you.”  
I nodded slowly, watching with apprehension as Chaewon and Yerim were directed towards different areas. Yerim turned around and flashed a reassuring smile before joining the other high-born acolytes. Chaewon entered a cubicle labeled ‘Inquisitor/Sith Assassin,’ with a double-bladed practice staff laid out for her instead of the standard practice blades. I took a deep breath and entered mine, hurriedly changing into the itchy new uniform and placing the practice saber on the small loop between my shoulder blades, like the other acolytes had done. When I looked in the mirror, I could hardly recognise myself. The practice saber felt heavy and awkward, and I looked out of place in the uniform.  
Training hadn’t even begun and I already wished I was back home.  
Stepping out of the cubicle, I was relieved to see I wasn’t the only one feeling uncomfortable. Chaewon stood a few metres away, picking at the collar of her uniform. The staff she’d been given was almost as big as she was, and she was clearly struggling with the weight. Wordlessly, I dashed over and grabbed hold of the staff when it threatened to slip out of the fastenings that attached it to her back. She smiled gratefully, slipping her hand in mine again. I felt my cheeks grow warm- we barely knew each other, yet I felt safe when I was close to her. Maybe it was the shared trauma of discovering these strange powers and being ripped from our old lives to train on this hell planet. Maybe it was… something else that I’d rather not think about. Either way, it made me feel awfully protective of this tiny, delicate-looking girl.  
There was no time to dwell on that thought, though: a shout from the overseers alerted us to the fact that the rest of the group was moving back outside. We hurried to catch up with the rest of them as Hyunsuk led us towards one of the large monoliths on the horizon. Those worm-like creatures- k’lor’slugs, I heard somebody call them- came threateningly close to us a couple of times, but Hyunsuk simply outstretched his hands and electrocuted them with a quick burst of lightning from his fingertips. The smell of charred k’lor’slug soon filled the canyon, a smell that hit a little too close for me- like the smell of charred human flesh from that fateful day back home.  
“Alright, listen up, you no-good pieces of gutter trash!” Hyunsuk yelled, shaking me out of my reverie.  
“For some reason, the higher-ups at the academy think that you have what it takes to become Sith.” He scoffed and spat on the ground.  
“I disagree. All I see is a group of useless nobodies from backwater worlds and alien scum who should be in the slave pits, where they belong!”  
I shuddered nervously, carefully readjusting my hair so my horns were covered. Chaewon noticed my nervousness and squeezed my hand reassuringly.  
“This first trial will weed out all the weaklings who’ve managed to worm their way into the academy. I expect to see your numbers cut down by half when you return- or better yet, all of you die down in the tombs so you’re not my problem anymore!” He laughed harshly, sending a ripple of discomfort through the group as the gravity of the situation dawned on us.  
“Your first trial is to enter the tomb of Ajunta Pall and bring back a holocron from the central chambers. Naturally, there are less holocrons than acolytes, so those who return empty-handed will be punished accordingly. In order to become Sith you need to be ruthless. None of that camaraderie bullshit the Jedi are always going on about. Now, go!”  
With that, Hyunsuk practically shoved the first of the acolytes into the tomb entrance, and we all apprehensively followed them. As I descended into the depths of this ancient Sith Lord’s tomb, I began to fully understand why my parents were so afraid of my selection for the academy. There was a very real chance that I could die in here- and not even the other acolytes would mourn me.


End file.
